


"you're still a slime, you know?"

by twilight_nightingale



Category: SK8 the Infinity (Anime)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Gen Fic, Good Friend Chinen Miya, Insecure Kyan Reki, Kyan Reki Needs a Hug, Miya won't give one to him one but that's okay, POV Chinen Miya, Platonic Relationships, Post-Episode 9: Sk8 the Infinity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-17
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-25 22:13:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30095910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twilight_nightingale/pseuds/twilight_nightingale
Summary: “If you don’t want to talk to anyone, you don’t have to,” Miya says. “But you should come to "S" tonight.”Reki shrugs. “Nobody will miss me if I’m not there.”“You idiot, I’ll miss you if you’re not there, why the hell do you think I came over here?”The look of genuine surprise on Reki’s face makes Miya’s own face turn pink, and he immediately regrets his words.“I thought I was just a slime,” Reki says. “I didn’t think you’d care if I wasn’t there.”***After a week of Reki's absence, Miya can't stand hanging out with the rest of the "S" skaters without Reki there. He decides to take matters into his own hands and show up unannounced at Reki's house and demand he come back to "S", whether he wants to or not.
Comments: 13
Kudos: 117





	"you're still a slime, you know?"

**Author's Note:**

> Episode 9.5 had me feeling very soft for Miya and Reki's friendship, because Miya clearly misses having his stand-in older brother around, so I decided to write this short lil thing! It's not been beta read, so forgive me for any typos and mistakes, and enjoy!

Miya hops off his skateboard, popping it up behind him with his foot and grabbing it without even looking as he approaches what he hopes to be Reki’s house. He’s only seen it the few times Shadow’s dropped them all off after a night of skating, but he’s fairly confident he has the right place; he recognizes the fence.

He also knows this is Reki’s house, and not Langa’s, since he’s never seen Langa’s place. The two of them are always together, and whenever Reki would get dropped off, Langa would climb out of the car after him. Almost like a lost puppy. It’s sickening, especially since neither of them realize just how abnormally close they are.

Miya flips off his hood and smooths his hair as he climbs the steps to the front door. He doesn’t want to look like a delinquent in case it isn’t Reki who answers. Good thing he’s an expert at playing the part of the innocent, adorable teenager.

He can hear commotion coming from inside the house, the sounds of little kids babbling in laughter and a loud radio. He didn’t know Reki had siblings.

When he knocks on the door, the commotion increases. He hears a little girl yell, “Langa!”, accompanied with the smattering of footsteps against hardwood floor, approaching the door from the other side.

Miya has half a mind to turn back now, but it’s too late when a pleasant faced woman, with the same eyes and crinkled smile lines as Reki, opens the door. She has one toddler perched on her hip, and another clutching her leg.

“Langa?” The little girl on the floor peers through her mother’s legs, then frowns.

Putting on his most likeable, adorable grin, Miya asks, “Excuse me, is this the Kyan residence?” He already knows the answer, based on Reki’s resemblance to his mother and his younger sister expecting to see Langa, but he asks anyway.

“Yes, dear,” Reki’s mom smiles. “Can I help you?’

“I’m a friend of Reki’s, we skate together. Is he around?”

Her face brightens at the word “friend,” and she ushers Miya in through the door. “Yes, yes he is! He’s in his room, this way, dear. What was your name?”

“Miya Chinen.”

She sets down the toddler she’s holding, then leads him down a short hall and around a corner to what is clearly Reki’s room. The door is plastered with stickers, ranging from skate company logos to random graphics to a sticker of a unicorn with wings made of fire. Miya almost rolls his eyes at it. Of course Reki would stick something ridiculous like that on his door.

Reki’s mom knocks on his door. “Reki, you’ve got a friend to see you.”

Muffled by the door, Reki calls back, “Tell Langa to go away. I don’t feel well.”

“It’s not Langa,” Miya says through the door before Reki’s mom can respond. “Open up, I need to talk to you.”

Miya hears footsteps cross the room and the door cracks open to reveal half of Reki’s face. He looks like shit. His hair is tangled and missing it’s usual headband and he has dark circles under his eyes.

“Miya?”

“Hi, can we talk?”

Reki appraises him for a moment, eyes narrowed. After a moment, he says, “...Sure. Come on in.” He swings the door wide so Miya can be let in.

Reki closes the door behind them, then without looking back at Miya, heads over to his bed and slumps down. He scoots his back against the wall and swings his legs up onto the bed.

Miya takes a moment to scan Reki’s room. If the outside of his door was bad, the interior is even worse. Everything is plastered with stickers, covered in knick-knacks, and piled with magazines. There’s an array of skateboards in a boxed frame against one wall, scattered tools across the desk, and a half-built deck missing a set of trucks in the middle of the floor. 

The room is so… _Reki._ Loud. Scatterbrained. Chaotic. Colorful. And, god forbid, kind of cool.

Reki still isn’t looking at him, a sour look on his face as he stares out his window.

“Sup,” Miya offers. He leans his board against the wall.

“Sup,” Reki echoes, still staring off into the distance.

Miya opens his mouth to speak again, but before a word can come out, Reki says, “If this is about Langa, I don’t want to talk about it.”

“I don't want to talk about Langa, either. I’m here to talk about you.”

Reki’s eyes flick over to look at him. “Great. What more do you have to say about me?”

Taken aback by his acidic tone, Miya replies, “What?”

“You don’t even like me. Why are you here?”

“I… I wanted to ask if you’re coming to “S” tonight.”

Reki looks away again. “You could have just texted me.”

“And you wouldn’t have texted back,” Miya replies. “You’ve been ignoring everyone for a week now. It’s getting old.”

“If you’re so sick of me, why bother to come over?”

Miya audibly groans. “Good god, you’re annoying. It’s getting old that you’re avoiding everyone, not _you’re_ getting old.”

When Reki doesn’t say anything in response, Miya presses, “So, _are_ you coming to “S” tonight?”

Reki pulls a leg up to his chest and rests his chin on his knee. “...No.”

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t feel like it!”

Miya narrows his eyes, considering. Reki’s words are confrontational and defensive, but there’s a hint of bitterness in his voice. No, not bitterness. Sadness. It’s so unlike Reki that Miya almost doesn’t know what to do with it.

He doesn’t know what went down, but he knows something happened between Reki and Langa. He hasn’t seen them together in a week. Hasn’t seen Reki at all in a week. He’s seen Langa a few times, but each time, he’s been moody and frustrated, clearly hung up about whatever happened with Reki.

“If you don’t want to talk to anyone, you don’t have to,” Miya says finally. “But you should come.”

Reki shrugs. “Nobody will miss me if I’m not there.”

“You idiot, _I’ll_ miss you if you’re not there, why the hell do you think I came over here?”

The look of genuine surprise on Reki’s face makes Miya’s own face turn pink, and he immediately regrets his words.

“I thought I was just a slime,” Reki says. “I didn’t think you’d care if I wasn’t there.”

“I don’t!” Miya crosses his arms as his face flushes even more pink. “It’s just stupid without you there, that’s all! The group is no fun without you. All Cherry and Joe do is argue all the time, and Shadow is increasingly insufferable, and Langa—”

Reki stiffens at Langa’s name, but Miya presses on.

“—Langa is just _miserable_ without you. And I don’t just mean miserable as in _he’s_ miserable, which he is, I mean miserable to be around!” Miya wrinkles his nose. “He’s all moody and whiny and he’s really not that funny without you there to make his jokes funny. I’ve been going crazy with them! I can’t spend another night hanging out with them if you aren’t there, so if you aren’t coming tonight, then I’m not going either.”

With that, Miya makes his way over and sits down on Reki’s bed crossing his arms. He glares in the opposite direction, and hopes that he’s been convincing.

“I’m sorry, Miya… I don’t think I can go tonight. But you should go, don’t let me be the reason you stay home.”

Exasperated, and annoyed that his pout didn’t instantly win Reki over, he turns to Reki and says, “Why won’t you go?”

A bitter smile crosses Reki’s face as he looks down at the space on the bed between them. “I don’t feel like I’m good enough to be there.”

“That’s not true.”

Reki shakes his head. “No, it is. You said yourself that I’m untalented and just embarrassing myself.”

Another flush colors Miya’s face. He has said things like that. Many times, in many different ways. He figured Reki knew it was all a joke, but from the hollow look on Reki’s face, that clearly isn’t the case.

Miya bites the insides of his cheeks as something akin to guilt gnaws at his stomach. Reki still isn’t looking at him.

He sighs. He really doesn’t want to do this, and he _hates_ admitting he’s wrong, but this doesn’t sit right with him. He has to apologize, if only to assuage his own guilty feelings.

“I’m… sorry.” It comes out flat, and Miya grimaces. There’s no way he can make the word “sorry” sound natural coming out of his mouth. He tries again, taking a different approach. “I know I’ve said those things about you, and I know I call you names and tease you, but I don’t mean them. I do it as a joke, since, you know, that’s what friends do with each other. I didn’t think you were actually taking me seriously.”

This is definitely not helping. Reki doesn’t look in any way convinced.

“Listen,” Miya continues, turning his head away, “I don’t think you’re a slime. I don’t even think you’re a golem. To be honest, I kind of look up to you. You’re the first friend I’ve had in a while, and I wouldn’t be friends with anyone else at “S” if you hadn’t been nice to me first. And nobody else would have been stupid enough to challenge Adam on my behalf, even though you barely knew me and I’d only ever been rude to you before and… and to be honest, I just miss hanging out with you, okay?” He gives a quick glare in Reki’s direction. “If you ever tell _anyone_ I said this, I’ll kill you.”

A reluctant smile creeps up on Reki’s face. “It’s okay. I won’t tell.”

“Good,” Miya says.

“I still don’t think I’m coming to “S” tonight.”

“Fine.” Miya huffs and reaches into his pocket and pulls out his video game. “Guess I’m not going either.” He scoots so that his back is against the wall, as well, and boots up the console.

“Are you just going to stay here and play video games all night if I don’t go?”

“Yup,” Miya responds.

Reki gives him an incredulous look. “You’re serious?”

“If I have to listen to Shadow pine over his coworker one more time without you there to make fun of him for it, I’ll go insane.”

“You don’t even want to like, do something? Hang out?”

Miya rolls his eyes. “This is hanging out. I’m still here, aren’t I?”

“I guess so, but usually when you hang out, you do an activity _with_ the person you’re hanging out with.”

Miya slides over until he’s right next to Reki. He turns and leans against Reki’s shoulder, then says, “There. Now you can see the screen. You’re involved.”

“Uh, sure, I guess,” Reki says. “Are you going to explain how this game works to me?”

“No.”

“Okay, fine, geez.” After a moment, he adds, “So, you really aren’t leaving, huh?”

“Nope.”

“Alright, you do you, I guess.” He leans his head back against Miya’s, so they’re both leaning angled against each other and the wall. He pulls out his phone and starts scrolling through social media.

Miya thought his threat to hang around Reki all night would have encouraged him to change his mind and come to “S”, but Reki clearly has no issue with Miya sticking around. For a few minutes they sit in silence together, the only noise coming from the tiny speakers on Miya’s game.

Miya’s loath to admit it, but it’s actually kind of nice sitting in a comfortable quiet with Reki. He wonders if this is what he does with Langa during all those hours they spend (or used to spend) together, if they just silently lean against each other as they do their own thing.

He’s not jealous of Langa, but Miya’s often wondered what it would be like to have a best friend like Reki. Someone constantly around, painfully positive, and relentlessly supportive. He gets a bit of that from Reki (when he isn’t openly fawning all over Langa,) and even that little bit is really quite nice. Not that he’d ever admit it. Or admit that he wanted a best friend.

“So, are you _ever_ coming back to “S” again?” Miya asks without looking up from his game.

Reki drops his phone on his bed and sighs. “I don’t know. Maybe. It’s just… complicated.”

“It’s about Langa, right?”

Miya feels Reki tense next to him, but he keeps pushing. “Like I said before, you can always just come and not talk to him. Although I think you should. I don’t know what happened between you guys, but Langa’s seriously torn up. It’s aggravating, watching him mope over you like you smashed his heart into pieces. And without you around, he’s just _so_ damn _awkward._ ”

Reki snorts. “Yeah, he’s pretty hopeless, isn’t he?”

“You guys are gonna be okay, right?”

Reki tenses even more, and his voice is barely a whisper when he mutters, “I don’t know.”

Miya can tell it’s time to drop it, even though he wants to keep pushing. He can’t imagine the two of them _not_ making up. Since Miya first met them, they’ve always come as a pair, and he figured that’s how it would always be, but the pain in Reki’s voice makes him wonder if maybe they _won’t_ come back from this.

He glances over and sees Reki’s face screwed up, his eyes shut tight, as if he’s trying not to cry. Miya has absolutely _no_ idea what to make of that, but he definitely doesn’t want that happening. It’s so awkward being around people who are crying.

“The goal is to beat the Chromatic King.”

“What?” Reki turns and gives Miya a weird look. His eyes are glossy, and tears are threatening to spill out, but it seems Miya’s caught him off guard enough to distract him.

Miya raises his console a bit and continues to play his game as he speaks. “The game. You’re supposed to beat the Chromatic King, but you have to free the seven dragons first. It’s an RPG.”

“Oh.” Miya sees Reki rub the corner of one eye with the back of his hand and hears him sniff. “What class do you play as?”

“Rogue. Stats in stealth, dex, and stamina.”

“Huh.” Reki shifts so that he’s facing the screen better, leaning heavily against Miya’s arm. “Is your character a cat?”

“They’re called ‘khatari’. Part cat, part elf.”

“So, he’s a catboy. Like you.”

“Shut up,” Miya hisses, much like a cat, and Reki laughs. “You said you wanted me to explain the game, so I am! At least _try_ not to make fun of it.”

Reki sounds less than apologetic when he replies, “Okay, sorry, sorry. So, why do you need to kill the Chromatic King?”

“Because he’s an asshole.”

“Fair enough. And you kill seven dragons?”

“You _free_ seven dragons,” Miya snaps. “They were trapped by the Chromatic King so he could leech their power and become an immortal sorcerer.”

“If he’s immortal, how can you kill him?”

Miya scoffs. “Well, that’s why you free the dragons, first, idiot!”

“Seems complicated,” Reki replies.

“It’s not complicated if you aren’t dumb!”

“Is there a barbarian class?”

“Yeah,”Miya snorts, “If you wanna play the game like a normie loser.”

“Pretty sure rogues are the real normie choice,” Reki teases.

“Are not! You don’t even play video games, what do you know?”

“Okay, can I give it a try?” Reki puts a hand out, but Miya jerks the console away.

“No way! You’ll get it all grubby.”

“Grubby?”

“Yeah. Your hands are grubby.”

“No they’re—” Reki looks down at his hands. “Okay, yeah, they’re a bit grubby. So what? I was changing the trucks on my skateboard before you came over!”

“Why bother to change them if you aren’t even coming to “S” tonight?”

“I skate other times! I skate to and from school.”

“Okay, and? You don’t upgrade your trucks if you’re planning to cruise. I think you _want_ to come to “S”!” Miya accuses.

His voice exasperated, Reki responds, “Of course I want to come to “S”! It’s all I’ve cared about for like the past year! But I just don’t want to, okay?”

“You contradicted yourself.”

“And you’re a little shit.”

Miya ignores the insult. “Do you want to come, or not?”

“I do!”

“So why won’t you?”

“Because I can’t!”

“What do you mean, ‘can’t’? Of course you can!”

“No, I can’t! I… I gave back my pin.”

Finally, Miya puts his game down. He turns to face Reki with a look of shock on his face. “You _what?_ ”

“I gave back my token. They probably won’t let me in again. It’s not like anyone knows who I am, so they won’t recognize me or anything.”

Miya takes a deep breath. This is not what he had been expecting to hear. Apparently this situation is a lot deeper than just a fight with Langa, but whatever it is, Reki will just have to get over it. If Reki _never_ comes back to “S”, Miya might have to stop going himself.

“I’ll get you another.”

“I don’t want—”

“Yes,” Miya interrupts, “You do want another. I can wait for you by the gates tonight and give it to you.”

“I already said I’m not going,” Reki mumbles.

“I don’t care what you said. You’re going tonight.”

Reki purses his lips.

“Don’t make me go out of my way to get you another token for you to not even show up. That’d be lame.”

Reki sighs and leans back against Miya’s side again, tipping his head back to rest on top of Miya’s. He stares up at the ceiling. “I’ll think about it, I guess.”

That’s likely as good a promise as Miya’s going to get.

Miya picks up his game again and continues to play for a few minutes, when Reki asks, “If I wash my hands, can I try your game?”

Miya considers for a moment. “Fine.”

Reki hops off the bed and leaves to the bathroom, but Miya calls after him, “At least 30 seconds! With soap!”

When he returns, Miya reluctantly saves his game and starts up a new save file. He hands the console over to Reki and watches as Reki plays through the tutorial.

He sucks. A lot. It’s almost painful for Miya to watch someone stumble so horribly through the easiest tutorial in the world, but he tries to keep his tips constructive. He’s at least happy to see that Reki isn’t going to cry anymore, at least not while Miya’s still here.

Reki makes it through the tutorial (barely) and half of the first dungeon before there’s a knock at his door.

“Reki,” his mom calls through the door, “It’s nearly nine-thirty. I think it’s time for your friend to go.”

Miya makes a face. “Does your mom really kick your friends out before ten?”

“She does when they look 13,” Reki sniggers quietly, then calls out, “Yes, mom!”

“Excuse you, I turn 14 in less than a month!”

Reki shrugs as he climbs off his bed. “Still 13, though.”

Miya sticks out his tongue and shoves his game into his pocket. He grabs his board as Reki escorts him to the front door.

His two baby sisters toddle after them as they walk to the front. One of them tugs on Reki’s shirt and asks, “Where Langa?”, while the other stares at Miya with wide, watchful eyes. She, too, tugs on the other side of Reki’s shirt, and motions for Reki to lean down.

He leans down, and she whispers something into his ear. He rolls his eyes, and responds, “That’s Miya. He’s a friend from, uh… we skateboard together. Now bug off.” He shoos the two of them away, and they both reluctantly patter back down the hallway and disappear out of sight.

“Your sisters like Langa, huh?” Miya asks as he pulls on his shoes.

“My sisters like all my friends.”

“Especially Langa.”

Reki rolls his eyes. “Everybody likes Langa.”

Miya shrugs. “Eh.” He finishes the last velcro strap of his hightops, then brushes himself off. “Still can’t believe your mom doesn’t let you hang out with people past ten.”

“Again, it’s because you’re 13.” Reki reaches for the front door, but hesitates. “Oh, um, by the way,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand and looking away. “Thanks for coming over today, and for… saying what you did.”

“You’re welcome,” Miya responds. “You’re still a slime, you know.”

Reki grins, the first real, untempered smile Miya’s seen on his face all night. _There he is_.

“Still a slime. See ya later, Miya.”

As Miya’s walking down the steps, he hears a tiny voice yell, “Byyyye, Mi-mi!” He turns back to see one of Reki’s younger sisters pressing her face against the window and waving after him. He then sees Reki’s mother pull her from the window and give him an apologetic wave.

As soon as he’s down the steps, he pulls up his hood, throws down his board, and jumps on, quickly pushing and gathering speed. After a few minutes, he checks the road in front of him to see that it’s relatively clear for him to coast for a while as he pulls out his phone.

> _[9:28pm] Miya: see you at S in a few hours. i’ll kick ur ass if you aren’t there_
> 
> _[9:34] Slime #1: Is that a challenge to a beef?_
> 
> _[9:35] Miya: sure is. you chicken?_
> 
> _[9:37] Slime #1: If I win, I get your console for a day._
> 
> _[9:38] Miya: if by some miracle you win, i’ll let you have it for a week_
> 
> _[9:42] Slime #1: You’re on._
> 
> _[9:42] Slime #1: See you there._

Miya pockets his phone and smiles to himself.

_What a slime._

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, thanks for reading!
> 
> I hope you've enjoyed this short lil story about my favorite catboy and also dogboy because lets face it, Reki is just a ginger golden retriever. I've been loving Sk8 the Infinity so much, and if you've got Renga brainrot like I do, stick around, because I've got a Renga fic in the works!
> 
> Come follow me on Twitter! https://twitter.com/twilight_ish


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